The UCSIM team works extensively with emerging technologies such as blogs, wikis, Google apps, Twitter, and other social media to foster a sense of team work and collaboration, and to better understand how these technologies interface with and enhance virtual worlds such as Second Life. If you aren't familiar with some of these tools, the initial experience can be overwhelming. Don't panic! After the initial flurry of creating accounts and getting the proper access, you'll find that you use some tools more frequently than others, and over time you will see how all these tools can be useful.
Create a Second Life Account
If you don't already have one, create a Second Life account from the UCSIM website. Be sure to choose a name that is work appropriate. Note that as a condition of working for UCSIM, this account is for work. You may also create a personal account if you want to explore or play with Second Life in your personal time, but your work account should only be used for activities related to your employment. At the end of your employment, you will need to change your password and hand over your work account to ensure the continuity of your builds, scripts, and other things you will have created, so keep that in mind. When you've created your account, print and complete the UCSL Second Life Work Account Agreement and submit the completed form to your supervisor to acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of your work Second Life account.
Create an Opensim Account
Use the same username that you created for Second Life to create an account on the University of Cincinnati Opensim grid on the UCSIM website.
Create a Google (Gmail) Account & Change Your SL Account E-mail Address
The UCSIM team uses Google applications - shared documents, spreadsheets, and other Google Docs applications - extensively in our collaborative work processes. Go to http://gmail.com and create a new account in the format SLfirstname.SLlastname (i.e., first.last avatar name) for use with your UCSL project work. For example, if your avatar name is Fleep Tuque, your gmail account would be fleep.tuque@gmail.com. Send a test message to secondlife@uc.edu to ensure that your e-mail account is working properly. You will then have access to shared folders and other Google applications used by the UCSL team. Then, go to http://secondlife.com and log into your Second Life account on the web. Change your account e-mail address to your Gmail first.last e-mail address to ensure all communications from Second Life go to your new e-mail account.
Create a Wikispaces Account
The UCSIM team uses wikis to collaborate, communicate about project work, and document various aspects of the project. Go to http://wikispaces.com and create a new account using your SLfirstnameSLlastname as the username, for example, fleeptuque, and your Gmail address as the contact e-mail address. Then, request access to become a member of the UC Second Life Project Wiki by going to http://ucslteam.wikispaces.com and clicking the "Join" button at the top right corner of the screen. We will grant your request for access as quickly as possible. You will then be able to edit pages on the wiki and see areas of the site that are not visible to the public.
Create a Flickr Account
The UCSIM team uses Flickr to store snapshots and screenshots that help document our progress on projects. Go to http://flickr.com and create an account using your first.last avatar name for the account information. (This will require that you create a Yahoo! account since Flickr is owned by Yahoo!) After creating your account, join the UC Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC) group so you can add your snapshots and photos to the UCSL group pool at http://www.flickr.com/groups/ucsllc/. If it is not already installed on the computer you're using in the office, you may also want to download and install the Flickr photo uploader to simplify adding snapshots to the Flickr group pool. See http://www.flickr.com/tools/ to download and install the Uploader.
Create a Twitter Account
We are experimenting with using Twitter as a way to update the public and our team on our progress and projects. Create a Twitter account at http://twitter.com using your avatar name as your username (i.e., first name if it is available, first+last avatar name if necessary) and your Gmail address as the contact e-mail address. When your account is set up, e-mail your twitter URL to ucsim@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can follow you (and you them).
Create a Skype Account
We use Skype as an always on chat space and voice communication tool to connect members of the team who may not be physically in the office. Go to http://skype.com and create an account using your avatar name as your username (first+last avatar name) and your Gmail address as the contact address. When your account is set up, e-mail your Skype username to ucsim@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can add you as a contact (and you them).
Getting Started
The UCSIM team works extensively with emerging technologies such as blogs, wikis, Google apps, Twitter, and other social media to foster a sense of team work and collaboration, and to better understand how these technologies interface with and enhance virtual worlds such as Second Life. If you aren't familiar with some of these tools, the initial experience can be overwhelming. Don't panic! After the initial flurry of creating accounts and getting the proper access, you'll find that you use some tools more frequently than others, and over time you will see how all these tools can be useful.
If you don't already have one, create a Second Life account from the UCSIM website. Be sure to choose a name that is work appropriate. Note that as a condition of working for UCSIM, this account is for work. You may also create a personal account if you want to explore or play with Second Life in your personal time, but your work account should only be used for activities related to your employment. At the end of your employment, you will need to change your password and hand over your work account to ensure the continuity of your builds, scripts, and other things you will have created, so keep that in mind. When you've created your account, print and complete the UCSL Second Life Work Account Agreement and submit the completed form to your supervisor to acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of your work Second Life account.
Create an Opensim Account
Use the same username that you created for Second Life to create an account on the University of Cincinnati Opensim grid on the UCSIM website.
The UCSIM team uses Google applications - shared documents, spreadsheets, and other Google Docs applications - extensively in our collaborative work processes. Go to http://gmail.com and create a new account in the format SLfirstname.SLlastname (i.e., first.last avatar name) for use with your UCSL project work. For example, if your avatar name is Fleep Tuque, your gmail account would be fleep.tuque@gmail.com. Send a test message to secondlife@uc.edu to ensure that your e-mail account is working properly. You will then have access to shared folders and other Google applications used by the UCSL team. Then, go to http://secondlife.com and log into your Second Life account on the web. Change your account e-mail address to your Gmail first.last e-mail address to ensure all communications from Second Life go to your new e-mail account.
The UCSIM team uses wikis to collaborate, communicate about project work, and document various aspects of the project. Go to http://wikispaces.com and create a new account using your SLfirstnameSLlastname as the username, for example, fleeptuque, and your Gmail address as the contact e-mail address. Then, request access to become a member of the UC Second Life Project Wiki by going to http://ucslteam.wikispaces.com and clicking the "Join" button at the top right corner of the screen. We will grant your request for access as quickly as possible. You will then be able to edit pages on the wiki and see areas of the site that are not visible to the public.
The UCSIM team uses Flickr to store snapshots and screenshots that help document our progress on projects. Go to http://flickr.com and create an account using your first.last avatar name for the account information. (This will require that you create a Yahoo! account since Flickr is owned by Yahoo!) After creating your account, join the UC Second Life Learning Community (UCSLLC) group so you can add your snapshots and photos to the UCSL group pool at http://www.flickr.com/groups/ucsllc/. If it is not already installed on the computer you're using in the office, you may also want to download and install the Flickr photo uploader to simplify adding snapshots to the Flickr group pool. See http://www.flickr.com/tools/ to download and install the Uploader.
We are experimenting with using Twitter as a way to update the public and our team on our progress and projects. Create a Twitter account at http://twitter.com using your avatar name as your username (i.e., first name if it is available, first+last avatar name if necessary) and your Gmail address as the contact e-mail address. When your account is set up, e-mail your twitter URL to ucsim@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can follow you (and you them).
We use Skype as an always on chat space and voice communication tool to connect members of the team who may not be physically in the office. Go to http://skype.com and create an account using your avatar name as your username (first+last avatar name) and your Gmail address as the contact address. When your account is set up, e-mail your Skype username to ucsim@uc.edu to let the team know your account name so they can add you as a contact (and you them).
Finished?
Continue to Chapter 2: Office Procedures